Under the Surface
by anzafire
Summary: Katara and Aang are called to the Northern Water Tribe to deal with a bloodbending crisis. Desperate to end it, Katara winds up using the practice herself and attacks an innocent suspect. What she goes through after is haunting, and it will take all of Aang's spirituality and love to help her heal.
1. Prologue

**Under the Surface  
**Prologue: Aang and Katara have a conversation after the Southern Raiders  
Rated: K+  
Story Summary: Katara and Aang are called to the Northern Water Tribe to deal with a bloodbending crisis. Desperate to end it, Katara winds up using the practice herself and attacks an innocent suspect. What she goes through after is haunting, and it will take all of Aang's spirituality and love to help her heal.

* * *

He pushed the lump of jealousy that swelled in his belly away as he watched Katara walk past him to embrace Zuko. It stung that she hadn't hugged him as well, but he didn't want to make a big deal about it. However, when Katara moved away, the feeling returned. Zuko asked a question that the Avatar didn't know how to answer, and found himself chasing Katara after giving the firebender a lame reply. The Avatar took a few hasty steps as his favorite waterbender made her way up the steps of the house and placed his hand on her shoulder, quietly asking if she wanted to talk about it. "I'd rather be alone right now," Was her whispered reply, and she shrugged him off to find solitude.

Aang was miffed for multiple reasons, but mostly because whenever he was upset, she got him to talk about it, no matter how badly he may not have wanted to.

Annoyed, the airbender spent the evening with Toph, for once enjoying sending rocks smashing all over. She was having a good time, too, giving him plenty of back-sass for not demonstrating such vigor in their usual sessions.

After a few hours of moving the earth, however, Aang was exhausted, physically and emotionally, and set off for what would be his bed for the next few weeks (he hoped, he was feeling slightly less-nomadic than usual, and didn't have to relocate _again_ before the comet). He untied the red sash at his waist, folding it neatly into a square before slipping the orange and yellow fabric and tucking it into an even pile, smoothing it to avoid wrinkles. Sitting down and bouncing a few times on the bed that stood a few inches from the ground, the Avatar was pleased with just how soft it was compared to what they'd been sleeping on over the last year.

He yawned and stretched, deciding that he should clear his head before trying to fall asleep. Crossing his legs, Aang sat his back up straight, feeling a little pull in his spine that still sometimes bothered him from Azula's strike in Ba Sing Se. Cringing through it, he placed his fists together and closed his eyes, breathing deep and detaching himself temporarily from the world.

Though he couldn't enter the Avatar State, Aang was getting better focusing during meditation, much like he had as a young air nomad. His time traveling with friends had taken him away from many of his customs, but he was determined to get back to them.

So caught up in meditation, he hadn't noticed the door open or a silent form sneaking into the room and settling down next to him until he stretched an arm out as he finished and brushed past smooth skin. Jumping in surprise, Aang's eyes fluttered open and he quickly gained control of himself as he found the one who'd caused his need for meditation to be sitting just a foot away from him.

"Hey, Katara," He greeted her, his voice a little gravely as he was ready to sleep. "Sorry, I was really into my meditation, I guess..." Trailing off as she was unresponsive to him, Aang turned his body to face her properly, noting the protective position of her head down, knees drawn to her chest, and surprisingly, all of her hair falling over her face. Her loopies were unattached in the back of her head and Aang had to hold himself still to keep from running his fingers through the strands of brown. "What's up?" His gaze trailed down, and he also noted that her gloves and arm wraps were missing, too. "Katara?"

She finally snapped out of her silence and sighed, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "Aang, I have to tell you something."

His neck grew red and he was glad that it was dark in the room. He hoped she wasn't about to confess that she'd done something with Zuko that would break his heart, but he was determined to listen and be there for her no matter what.

"You can tell me anything," The airbender assured her, placing a comforting hand on top of her right knee.

Katara licked her bottom lip before stating with obvious shame laced in her voice, "I used bloodbending, Aang. When Zuko and I first found the Southern Raiders' ship." Her voice cracked as she stated, "I used it to take down their captain. I twisted his arms back and I forced him down to the ground," A sob broke from her and Aang wanted to cry just at the sight, "And I made him look up at me, and I realized, it wasn't even the man who'd killed my mother!"

She cried loudly into her arms, torturing herself by replaying what she'd done over and over in her mind. Aang couldn't help but move himself closer, kneeling with his ankles resting under him, pulling Katara into the same hug she usually gave him. He rested his head against hers, letting a few stray tears of his own fall from watching her anguish. Curling his fingers into her hair, stroking downward, he did everything he could to comfort her without using words. Feeling guilty that he thought her confession was going to have something to do with Zuko, he kept quiet and attempted to calm her down through gentle shushing. Anything he said when she was so worked up would have gone right through her. He had Avatar wisdom for her, but he wanted her to really hear it.

Eventually, her breathing was steadier and she relaxed into his hold until she realized his chest was bare and felt her face heating up before pulling away. Tucking her arms around her knees again, Katara exhaled loudly a few times, rubbing her tear-stained cheek against her short sleeve that covered her shoulder.

Her face was still flushed when she sat up, muttering an apology for her actions. Aang shrugged. "I think I've cried on you more than enough times to make up for it," He said sheepishly. Katara leaned her head back against the wall, and Aang noted her mother's necklace wasn't around her neck. "Um, not to cause you more anxiety, but...do you know where your mother's necklace is?" He questioned, nervous for her response.

A dark-skinned hand reached into the blue fabric of her dress and the silky ribbon of the old betrothal relic appeared in Katara's palm. She rubbed her thumb over the stone in the center of it, sniffing. "I don't feel like I deserve to wear it right now. She would be ashamed of me."

Aang covered the necklace with his hand, squeezing it against Katara's. "No, I don't think she would. If your mother was anything like you are," The airbender started, earning Katara's red-rimmed eyes, "Then I'm sure she'd be very understanding."

She shook her head. "My mother was way better than I am, or could ever hope to be. She would have never done something like this."

Aang shrugged. "She didn't have the power that you do, either," He pointed out. "It's not really a fair comparison. I kind of get it though. I bet it feels like going into the Avatar state," He muttered, though he hadn't been able to enter it in weeks. "You have this great, terrible ability inside of you, and it's hard to control." Katara blinked up at him, giving a slow nod of understanding. She'd seen him lose himself to the Avatar state many times since knowing him. Each was more terrifying than the last. "I'm not saying I know exactly what you're feeling. Just because we have had similar situations doesn't mean we've felt similar emotions, but if you really want to talk about it, I'm always here to listen."

He took the ribbon from her and swept her hair over her shoulder, making her cheeks turn red again. Securing the necklace around her, Aang sat back down, ready to share more with her. "You had the most important person in the world taken from you. Taking the one that took her out seemed like justice, I know. When I first found out that the Fire Nation took everyone from me, I wanted to hurt them, too. But I knew, deep down, that violence wasn't the answer. I learned that from my people, and I wanted to honor them. Your upbringing was different from mine. You are a tribe of warriors, who are all brothers and sisters. When someone hurts someone from your tribe, the first instinct you may have would be to hurt them back. You had to discover for yourself that a mentality like that doesn't give anyone peace. And I think you did. You may have learned it the hard way, but you did learn it."

Katara fidgeted with the tie on the front of her dress, wondering when she'd be able to talk without her voice quivering. Giving up on it, she asked through the lump of tears that was still present, "How can I prevent it from happening again?"

"Well," Aang rubbed the back of his head, trying to come up with an answer for her. "You could start by making a promise to yourself that you'll never use bloodbending again. Ever, no matter what the circumstances are. You have to promise yourself, every day. For a long time. Until it becomes a part of who you are."

She gave another nod, biting her lip. Aang continued, drawing on wisdom from his own customs. "And, maybe meditating would help you, too. You can clear your mind, get in touch with yourself and your feelings. You can start to forgive yourself."

"I don't think I can do that," She responded quietly, "Just like I can't forgive the man who did this."

"Maybe in time, you will," Aang hoped. "Until then," He stated, his tone turning into a light tease, "I'm glad you were able to move past your past anger towards him, but you might want to skip the field trips with Zuko from now on."

Katara scoffed, giving him a hint of a smile. "That's for sure. I much prefer running off with my favorite airbender."

The Avatar felt his heart swell at the statement, and then some when she pulled him in for a long hug, her chin tucked against his shoulder. He buried his nose in her hair for a moment, letting the moment edge into his memory — the way her waist curved under his arms, how thin she was through her blue garment, the smell of her, the feel of her, everything. His meditation before Katara arrived hadn't given him any answers about what to do with the Fire Lord when he faced the madman; but he knew that no matter what happened, he wanted his heart to be filled with the good things. The way Katara's embrace made him feel, emotionally and physically, would be the last thought to run through him before he did whatever was necessary.

"...But, Aang..." Katara sighed, pulling away. "I'm just worried. What if, what if I can't control my bloodbending during a full moon? What if I get into another emotional state and I do it without meaning to?"

Aang shrugged. "I don't think that's going to happen. Now that you're aware of what you're capable of, I think that you have the ability to tell yourself no. You're pretty powerful, Katara."

She shook her head. "Not as powerful as you," She muttered. "Which is why I want you to promise me something." The airbender squeezed her hand, inviting her to continue. She twirled a strand of hair like she tended to do when she was nervous. Finally, Katara asked, "Will you promise to stay with me during a full moon? For as long as we're together?"

He blinked, giving a weak smile. "Of course I will."

"And, if you ever think I'm going to use bloodbending, I want you to help me stop, okay? Like how I pull you out of the Avatar State. I need you to promise to do anything you have to in order to control me."

"I'm not going to hurt you—"

"But," Katara's gaze grew wide and desperate. "What if it's the only way? Then would you?"

Aang hesitated but eventually sighed and gave her a single nod. "I won't want to, but..." He gazed outside at the darkness that had settled, wondering how late it was. "I guess if it comes down to that, I'll do it. I wouldn't want to, but I'll do whatever you need me to. I promise."

Her arms were around his neck again and the Avatar swallowed thickly, returning the third embrace. "But as long as you're with me, we're going to always try to do something really fun during a full moon, okay? That way you won't be tempted to use bloodbending."

Katara laughed lightly through the lump of tears in her throat in response, rocking him back and forth before leaving his arms for the second-to-last time of the evening.

"Do you want to be alone for the rest of the night?" He questioned her, gesturing to a dusty bed roll on the other side of the room. "Because you can stay here with me if you want. I'll take the floor and you can sleep up here."

She bent her knees, leaning to kiss his cheek, earning his flush. "You're always so sweet. I think I'll go back to my room though. You've managed to make me feel much better. Besides, I've disrupted you enough for one night."

He touched the place she'd kissed, his blush still bright as he insisted, "You didn't disrupt me at all, but...at least let me walk you back? I just don't like the thought of you going alone after...this."

"Okay," The waterbender agreed, sliding off the edge of his bed and starting to the door, with him beating her to it, holding it open for her.

Aang walked slowly beside his favorite person in the world, fighting the urge to hold her hand as they shuffled down the hall and up a flight of stairs, where she opened the third door in the long hallway. He followed her into the room, noting it to be uncharacteristically messy, with Katara's few belongings scattered around the floor. She sat on the edge of the bed, watching him with a grateful expression as he wound up her armbands and stacked her gloves, placing them neatly in her bag, along with the comb and hair ties that she had tossed onto the floor in lack of care during her state of mind before speaking with her ever-wise best friend.

He stood awkwardly in front of her, rubbing the back of his neck like he always did when he fought nerves in her presence. "So...I guess, goodnight then?"

Katara felt a similar sensation of confused feelings rippling through her before pulling Aang to her level for one more hug, giving a little sigh into it. "Goodnight, Aang. Thank you, for listening. And for your promise."

Touching her shoulder after pulling away, he gave a sharp nod. "I hope I don't have to keep it."

He disappeared and Katara fell backwards on the mattress, her fingers grazing over the pendant around her neck. Still feeling like she didn't quite deserve it, but trying to keep Aang's words over her own self-perception, she turned over on top of the blankets and closed her eyes, hoping too, that he'd never have to keep his promise of doing anything necessary to stop her from doing something she'd regret again for the rest of her life.


	2. The Ghost

**Under the Surface  
Chapter One: The Ghost  
**Chapter Summary: Katara and Aang arrive in the North Pole to start work on a deadly bloodbending investigation. Katara is not pleased to see her father a part of the team that is being led by an extremely sexist waterbender named Yakone.  
Rated: T

* * *

Katara stretched as she pulled on her parka; a few shades of blue darker than the one she'd worn when she first started traveling with Aang. It had been a gift from Pakku on her last venture to her childhood home of the South. She'd never known her paternal grandfather, and she enjoyed the fact that the man who'd once been a stuck-in-the-mud, bigoted master had been changed into a compassionate teacher, who saw his surrogate-granddaughter as equal in skill as he. The material still smelled a bit like the home he shared with her gran-gran, as Katara hadn't had a reason to wear it since leaving, and it'd been tucked at the bottom of she and Aang's belongings. The distinct scent of gran-gran's seaweed wraps and the smoking fireplace brought a smile across her lips.

"Sweetie, do you want your robe?" Katara asked as she came out of her memory. She leaned down a bit from Appa's saddle to capture her boyfriend's attention as he flew them closer to the water's surface, where glaciers and ice formations were starting to appear.

"Nah, I'm good," The Avatar replied, tilting his head up, "Thank you, though."

She was always a bit envious of his ability to keep himself warm by subtly controlling the air currents around him. As she tugged on her mittens, Katara remembered a time when the arctic cold was her normal. After nearly five years with only sporadic visits to the North or South Poles, she'd lost her sense of the regular, frigid temperatures.

Though in five years, she'd also put on a little bit of weight around her hips, which she had hoped to help starve off the cold. They flared out more than ever, and the last time she'd seen her gran-gran, the older woman had teasingly commented, "The better to push out the next generation of airbenders with, my dear."

Kanna may have been joking, but as Aang watched Katara from his place at the reigns, the waterbender knew her statement was completely accurate. She noted his eyes, not on hers, but on the wider part of her. "It's rude to stare," She teased, trying to brush the hair out of her face as it whirled in the wind around her. Her long, tan fingers brushed her cheeks, the bones higher and missing the traces of childhood that she'd carried at the end of the war, and as the mass of brown finally stayed away from her line of vision, she caught her boyfriend still oogling her. "You really aught to pay attention to where you're going." Of course, she was far from innocent in enjoying the appearance of the opposite member in their relationship. she could gaze at Aang's ever-broadening shoulders, trace his chest muscles, or run her hands over his firm jaw all day and be completely content with her decision.

"Appa knows where he's headed, don't you boy?" The beast groaned, and Aang grinned, running a hand along the dark arrow of Appa's fur. Katara shook her head, grunting when a piece of hair attacked her nose as it whipped around again. Tugging up her fuzzy hood, lined with white fur, she hoped the heat it provided would also keep the stubborn locks in place. She noted Momo curled up in a ball near their pack, shivering lightly. After taking Aang's robe out to tuck around the little lemur, she moved to the front of the saddle.

Aang leaned back against Appa, reaching a hand up for her to grab. She closed his light, bare skin into her plush mitten, then bent even further to drop a kiss on the top of his arrow, forgetting his blatant staring. "You're so warm!" She nearly gasped at the contact of her lips against him.

He grinned. "Firebending privilege," He joked, then patted the space next to him on the bison. "Come on, I'll warm you right up."

Sliding down to sit next to the Avatar, Katara curled herself against his side, kissing his cheek near his lips before he wrapped an arm around her, rubbing up and down to stimulate heat. She rested her chin on his chest, staring into his grey eyes, hers barely visible to him over the shadow cast by her hood. "What?" He chuckled and she shrugged.

"I guess I'm happy that we're probably going to spend at least a week in one place. Even if it will be cold. Who knows? Maybe we'll even get some alone time." She stroked her covered hand over his abdomen, causing his breath to pitch. "If we can tie this up in a nice neat knot like we did in the capital, we could spend a few days to ourselves."

"I'd like that," Aang agreed. "But I have no idea what to expect up there. I feel like some of the information has been intentionally misleading."

Katara pouted for a moment, then rose to climb into the saddle and retrieve the messages they'd been sent regarding the situation.

Climbing back down, shoving her hood back so it was across her neck, she stretched a leg over Aang's lap teasingly. After a quick apology for her hair tickling his chin, Katara reviewed the content of the first, hastily written, piece of correspondence from the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe.

_Avatar Aang—_

_We wanted to inform you of a dreadful trend that has occurred over the last few months during the full moon. At first, we thought it was a spirit trying to send a message about our over-fishing patterns, but after the fourth cycle, we're sure there may be much more spiritual unrest here in the Northern Water Tribe than we originally thought._

_The bodies of several tribe members have been found dead, though not mutilated by any physical means. Our healers have examined them to find their blood was manipulated in their bodies, somehow choking the life from their hearts. _

_Since not even our most impressive healers have such an ability to manipulate human blood, we believe we have dangerous, dark spirits in our midst. We request your presence as soon as possible to see if you can find any spiritual disturbance among the places where the bodies were found._

_Chief Arnook_

Katara recalled the scowl she'd given when she originally read the urgent message aloud to Aang as he had been preparing for a meeting with the Earth King. Her thoughts had immediately suspected that the spirits were not to blame. Spirits would have left a trace in the chi paths of the victim's bodies for the healers to identify. No, this was not the work of the spirits.

She'd sent Aang to his meeting after a quick discussion on how to proceed. Her reply to the Chief had been simple and brief, just enough to explain the details.

_Chief Arnook—_

_Avatar Aang and I are convinced this is not a spiritual matter. We believe that there are waterbenders in your Tribe who have learned of a secret and incredibly dangerous form of waterbending, bloodbending. This is a very serious matter that must be dealt with quickly. Fortunately, bloodbending can only occur during a full moon. _

_Aang and I propose to arrive in the North by the next moon. Until then, please assemble a task force to gather and interpret as much evidence as possible. We will only have about three nights with the moon's power to determine who the bloodbenders are. We have engagements to attend over the next few weeks, but please keep us updated as often as possible._

_Master Katara_

She had perhaps moved her brush along the 'M' in master a bit more thickly than necessary, wanting to remind the Chief that Aang wasn't the only one capable of finding solutions to the world's problems.

As she had requested, the North set up a team that included several visiting members of the Southern Water Tribe, along with young benders of the newly-established Northern law enforcement agency. The leader of the force had sent a message that Katara had poured over in anger at least two dozen times since they received it. Though the situation was officially Aang's business, she originally felt a greater connection to it then he had, and she already didn't like the way Arnook's team was handling it.

_Avatar Aang & Katara— _

_We are the highest ranking officers of the Tonrar Force, which has been assembled to deal with the matter you were previously contacted about. We hope to serve you in any way we can. We have put together all of our evidence from the attacks. Due to the sensitive nature of this case, we do not feel it wise to send the information via messenger hawk. Please plan to arrive here as early as possible before the full moon to review what we have collected and go over our plan for catching those responsible for this hideous crime._

_Captain Yakone_

She'd wanted to tear the letter to shreds, not only at the captain's blatant disregard for her title as a waterbending master — it seemed old ideals died slower in the North, but also for his lack of trust in their ability to discern information and be a part of the planning process. As usual, Aang wasn't offended by the content of the message. He assumed, on the bright side, as always, Captain Yakone was being responsible by not delivering sensitive news that could be intercepted to them. Katara felt it was much more than that.

"We should be there well before nightfall, then we can finally get a handle on what's going on," He declared, squeezing her back to his side and kissing her hair.

"I just have a feeling this Captain Yakone is going to be nothing but a thorn in my side," She mumbled, crumpling her gloved hands into fists around the edges of the letter. "If he tells me even once that women don't belong on his task force, I cannot be held responsible for what I do to him."

Aang laughed. "So long as you don't destroy the evidence they've collected, I'll gladly leave him to you."

She folded the letters back up, tucking them into the pocket of her parka and pushed the annoyance at a man she'd never met out of her mind. Giving her boyfriend a not-so-subtle expression, she shifted her body so she was completely in his lap, a leg on each side of his hips. He brought a hand to her cheek, stroking her tan skin with the pad of his thumb. "You're going to make it awfully hard to steer."

"Oh, Appa knows where he's going," She murmured lowly, repeating his line from earlier, her eyelids dropping slightly as she leaned forward and kissed his neck. "Like you said, we've got a few hours to ourselves. We might as well enjoy them."

Dropping the reigns and giving Appa a little pat, Aang groaned as she nipped at his sensitive skin that covered between his neck and shoulder. "Sweetie, be careful. You can't heal bruises and who knows what important people we'll be meeting when we get there."

Katara chuckled against him, kissing the place on the visible, hollow portion of his neck once more. Aang tangled a hand into her hair, which was continuing to get tangled in the wind caused by their flight. "Can I play with your hair?" He questioned, stroking the long, brown tendrils. Shrugging, the waterbender slid off him and the Avatar requested, "How about a ribbon?"

"Oh, are you going to do it up all fancy, sweetie? You know we'll be going to a strategy meeting, not a banquet." She teased, climbing up to ruffle through a bag for her grooming kit. After settling back down in front of Aang, she passed him a ribbon, which he slid in between his top and bottom rows of teeth.

Muttering between the silky string in his lips, he responded, "I want to show that Yakone that you're not only capable of defending his tribe, but are a stunning beauty as well. I always like your hair in a braid."

Katara felt herself flushing to her ears and bowing her head forward while Aang ran a whale-tooth comb through her knotted hair as gently as possible before parting it in three equal sections, bringing them over to the side to start weaving the pieces down. The braid linked from a slightly-off center portion of her nape to the right and down, twisting intricately over her shoulder. She shivered a bit at his touch, always enjoying the sensitivity he carried with him to perform such intimate tasks for her. After securing the bottom with a ribbon, Aang pulled her beaded bangs back, tucking the ends into thick sections behind her ears. She turned to give him a blushing, grateful smile, which he welcomed with his lips.

* * *

The bison soared over the glacial entrance to the Northern Water Tribe, not bothering with the elaborate greeting structure the benders on watch typically performed for guests. Aang and Katara had visited the frozen city enough times that they hardly desired the formal treatment that the Avatar usually would receive. "Man, every time we come it just gets bigger and bigger," Aang commented as they swooped closer to the structures. "How can their population increase so much in just a few months?"

"It's still the post-war boom," Katara replied. "If you look back through old scrolls, you'll see it happens every time there's a crisis. The men come home from war and can't seem to get enough of their wives," She winked and squeezed his knee. "It usually lasts ten to fifteen years. Then things return back to normal. Of course, what's normal anymore?"

One of his large hands splayed between her shoulder blades and he shrugged. Katara gripped his leg again, rubbing soothingly up and down. She knew it stung to see the other nations so prosperous when he was still the only true Air Nomad. Though he'd created quite a following of his own 'people,' it wasn't the same as having airbenders populating the world.

"Normal is overrated," Aang said quietly, eyeing the palace-like structure that had grown at least four times in size since Princess Yue had inhabited it and they'd visited for the first time. "Man, this place is really out of control. Where is the wealth coming from?"

Katara pressed her lips together. "Now that the trade routes are secured, everyone can sell their own goods. People and nations have opportunity like never before. I just hope the South never becomes this greedy. There is no need for it. We were perfectly happy in our tents and igloos. It's a shame a lot of kids won't grow up knowing that little sense of community."

The airbender's fingers twisted the ends of her hair as Appa flew around to the spiritual center of the North. Though he knew he had important work to do with the Tonrar Force, Aang wasn't about to break his personal tradition of meditating at one of the most spiritual places in the world before working to stop the crisis. He had the extra time, and he was going to use it to tune into the spiritual energy of the Northern Water Tribe. Though he knew the deaths of the people there were not due to the spirits, keeping a strong connection to them could always be beneficial in an emergency.

He felt all the tension in his body leave when Appa landed on the grass with a grunt, as if announcing their presence to the koi fish in the pond. Katara removed the winter gear she'd put on earlier, as the heat from the spirits kept the area warm, despite it's location. Aang jumped off his animal guide just after detangling himself from Katara, rubbing near the beast's nose to thank him for their flight. Katara watched from her place on top of the bison as Aang removed his top and quietly asked her to pass him a mat from one of their packs.

She climbed up to the saddle and took out an intricately woven relic from the Eastern Air Temple that he had decided to claim a little over a year previous. In the middle of the faded yellow fabric was an old symbol for those who were blessed with the power of air by ancient lion turtles. After tracing it briefly with her thumb, she leaned down to place it in his hands. He tucked it under his arm and reached up to help her off Appa, catching her waist. She hopped down gracefully, her palms coming to rest on his shoulders. Tilting her head up, she met his lips in a sweet kiss, a tiny moan escaping when his tongue entered her mouth, grazing over her teeth. She gave into it for a few moments, then reluctantly pulled away, brushing her fingertips over his cheeks. "Sweetie, we don't have time now, let's not...get carried away," She breathed, groaning when his hand dipped lower on her waist. "Aang—"

He pulled her flush to him, mumbling nothing into her hair as he rocked his hips to hers. "Aang, not now, sweetie." She gave him a kiss on the tip of his nose then wiggled out of his hold, earning a disappointed pout. Keeping her eyes up, Katara gave a nod at the mat in his hold, "Meditate. I'll head down to the station and see what I can get into. If you haven't joined me in an hour, I'll come get you, okay?"

He muttered an agreement, spreading the rug out in front of the pond.

Katara climbed back on top of the bison, hunting for a bag to take a few items she felt may be necessary into the Tonrar force, unsure how well-versed in the practice of bloodbending the officers would be. While she had no intentions of demonstrating the art, she had made several visuals in anticipation of needing to spell it out for any doubters of its existence as a deadly art. Pulling her coat and mittens back on, she put on her determined face and headed to the capital.

* * *

Chief Arnook led Katara through a series of hallways after meeting her in front of the building where the investigation team was working out of. He'd greeted her with a hug, but a serious expression. She was well aware that this wasn't as social visit, and was starting to feel like her entire trip was going to go much the same way. "I'm just warning you, Yakone is a bit like...Pakku was. Stuck in the old ways and such. I'm going to apologize in advance, but he's the most qualified and competent leader for the job. Besides, I ensured there would be someone on the force who had your back."

Katara perked up a bit at the end, "You have another female bender?"

"Ah, no," Arnook winced. "That wasn't going to happen if I wanted to have Yakone leading this, unfortunately. But, I'll let you see for yourself just who has your back." He paused outside of a doorway that had the ancien symbol of the ghost etched into the wall above it. "This is it, Master Katara. I'll announce you and let you get to work."

Pushing the door open, Arnook quickly gained the attention of the room, which held no familiar individuals to Katara. She let her eyes wander over the structure of the room, not surprised to find white walls and floors, with mainly cold steel furniture, so typical of the Northern Water Tribe.

She was surprised by the lack of evidence pinned to walls, wanted posters, or any shreds of evidence from the case. Typically when she and Aang were working on something that had already been started, the main room was littered with scrolls detailing interviews from witnesses, possible suspects, or logs of evidence that had been turned in. This room was nothing but a blank expanse, filled with burly men, their faces as cold as the weather outside.

Noting the amount of weaponry along the back wall of the workstation, Katara started to gather that these men hadn't done much to put the pieces of the puzzle together, and had spent much of the last month intending on throwing the pieces all down when their time was up, rather than working steadily on it over the allotted amount they originally had.

"This is Master Katara, gifted waterbender, healer, and companion to the Avatar. She's going to represent him while he prepares himself for the evening at the Spirit Oasis. Treat her with the same respect you would any of my other guests," He warned, eyeing a tall figure in the back of the room. "Captain?" The Chief questioned, already uneasy with Yakone's perceived rudeness. "Please introduce yourself."

Katara let one fist clench in her glove while keeping her right hand at her side, anticipating a handshake.

The man finally stepped forward, an uninterested, but uncomfortable gaze sweeping up and down Katara. His eyes were a blank grey, much like the landscape of his headquarters. Though he was incredibly tall and towered over Katara by several feet, his shoulders held a distinctive hunch in the middle, likely a small, childhood spinal deformation that had never been taken care of by a healer. His robes were a blinding white, as were all of the men on his force, with the golden symbol of the ghost over his right pectoral muscles. A silver belt with a sword was around his waist, while a dagger-holder circled his thigh. With his haughty, rumbling voice he questioned, "This is whom the Avatar has chosen?"

The waterbender opened her mouth to defend herself, but found her words stolen by the Chief. "This is the young woman who not only found Avatar Aang, but brought him back from the grip of death with water from the Spirit Oasis. She took down the tyrant Princess Azula of the Fire Nation, and has supported the Avatar in every way she could since that day she rescued him. You'll show her all the dignity you would him."

Yakone puffed hot air, shaking his head at Katara before motioning to one of his men to follow him to the back of the room.

"Thank you chief, but please, let my actions speak for themselves," Katara hissed as she moved past him and quickly followed Yakone through the pathways of tables, chairs, and weapons. She walked with haste to stand in front of him, her arms crossed over her chest and an authoritative sneer on her lips. "I am here to obtain information on the case."

"I'm sure you are," Yakone grumbled, pushing past her. "But I'm not repeating myself. You can wait until your boyfriend joins you. "Kunik! Please show the woman to the record room. If she's so insistent on seeing what we've been working on, she can read it for herself. Of course, that is, if she can read."

Feeling her blood pressure soar with each passing second she was in the man's presence, Katara did not let her frustration show. She wasn't a fourteen-year-old anymore. It wouldn't do to challenge the bigot. "All women of the Southern Water Tribe have been taught literacy skills alongside their brothers for hundreds of years," She commented, her nose rising a little higher in the air to keep her pride, and her cool.

Yakone certainly made no notion that he cared, or even heard her as he glared at a man Katara assumed was Kunki, who joined his commander. "And make sure you get one of those Southerners in there with her! I don't want her getting into anything she shouldn't be."

Kunik was a skinny officer, who couldn't have been much older than Katara. She followed him willingly, eyeing the ponytail that flowed down his back, wondering how long he'd been growing it out for, and how upset he would be if she cut it off with a blade of ice.

"Here, Master Katara," The scrawny man showed her to a room that had three tall tables with stools, like a dingy earth-kingdom bar. Noting his use of title, Katara decided he could keep his precious locks as she eyed the contents of the surfaces, all cluttered with documents, much like she had anticipated finding the main portion of the task force. "You can start here, but it would make more sense if I had someone come walk you through the chain of events."

"Is it beneath you to educate a woman?" Katara growled, her arms still set over her chest, her eyebrows higher in disgust with the Northern men's continued sexism.

"No, it's not. But Yakone likes to have things done his way. Besides, I haven't been apart of collecting all this, and I think there's someone who you'd rather have explain this whole mess to you than me. If you want to start reading this," He pointed to a sloppy manuscript at the edge of the first table, "Then I'll go find him."

Not sure what he meant, but not particularly willing to let herself develop a positive opinion of Kunik either based on his single comment, Katara watched his back as he left the room and turned opposite from where they'd come from. Letting out a loud sigh that she'd been holding in, Katara leaned over the high counter, letting her eyes wander over the first piece of information, growing more angry as she attempted to comprehend the nearly illegible writing. Puffing a strand of hair up, she decided to ditch her parka and gloves, laying them over a chair that she was too frustrated to sit in.

Heavy footsteps disturbed her a few minutes later and Katara felt her shoulders tense up again, having hoped for a little more time to calm herself before dealing with another chauvinist Tribal man. She set her hands defensively on her hips before whirling around, her eyebrows knitted together in preparation for an argument, but the waterbender found herself gasping and falling two steps backward instead.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" She breathed, her palms out.

Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe chuckled and took a slow stride forward, an eyebrow up like hers had been before he arrived. "Kind of thought you'd be a little more excited to see me, but alright."

"D-Dad?" Katara could hardly process that her father was standing just three feet in front of her. It'd been well over a year since she had last seen him, and their last interaction had been a lot of her yelling over the fact that he wasn't sure she should be traveling alone with Aang. Though he didn't know how far their relationship had gotten, the leader of the South had his ideas. "I-I just...I knew there were men from the South here, but no one bothered to mentioned that you were one of them."

Hakoda shrugged, closing the space between them with another step. "Well, I am...are you going to hug me or just stand there like you're ready to slap me with a water whip?"

Shaking her head of the woozy confusion, Katara finished the distance with her arms out to encircle her father. He wrapped his own around her, hugging her tight and leaning down to touch his chapped lips to the top of her head. "I've missed you."

She didn't return the sentiment verbally, but tightened her embrace to let him know that even though she couldn't say it, she'd missed him too.

"Is Sokka here?" His daughter asked against the fuzz of his top.

"Unfortunately, no. He was handling things back home for a few weeks, but I guess Suki and the girls needed help in the Earth Kingdom." Hakoda looked down at his only girl, unable to stop the smile from turning up on his mouth when he took in the sight of his nineteen-year-old whom he hadn't seen in ages. "You are so beautiful, you know that?"

She flushed and hid her face in his chest, shaking her head. "How long have you been here?"

"A month," He replied, "I was going to be visiting for my annual meeting with Arnook when the fiasco happened. I offered to stay and help out, since your brother was home for a bit. I've been leading the footwork, tracking every trace and shred of evidence we've come across. Everything in here is our work."

Finally releasing her father, Katara shook her head. "I don't know how you've tolerated that monster for four entire weeks." He didn't need any more of a description to know who she was referring to, "I couldn't be in the same room as him for four minutes without feeling my skin crawl." She shivered. "He's a complete savage."

Hakoda through his head back in a laugh. "You've got him down already, sweetheart. He's horrible. That's why I've been spending most of the time in the field. I let him think he's connecting the dots when we bring back evidence. It's easier that way. But," The Chief warned, "If he dares to think he can talk to you like anything less than you are, I will see to it personally that—"

Katara cringed. "Dad, I can handle myself," She huffed, crossing her arms again. She hadn't prepared herself to work alongside her father, and though part of her was genuinely glad to see him, the other part of her was starting to feel victimized by the entire situation. "You're not going to try to take over when me and Aang get going, are you?"

A bit taken back by her question, but not wanting to show it, Hakoda placed a loving hand on her shoulder. "You, unfortunately, have the most experience in this. I think that, combined with Aang's Avatar wisdom should be more than enough to get this solved. My goal in staying was to make this as easy as possible for you. Not that I think you couldn't handle a challenge," He assured her, ruffling the ends of her hair. "But I know you don't have much time to spare. I wanted to be able to give you anything I could to help. I know you don't like it when I come in and try to take over something."

Katara relaxed a bit, giving a firm nod of understanding and a tiny smile of appreciation. "So, tell me about what's going on?"

Hakoda pulled out one of the tall, metal stools from under the high tabletops and sat on it, resting his forearm against the surface. "What do you know so far?"

His daughter scoffed and tugged out the letters from Arnook and Yakone, passing them to her father to read. He shook his head and rolled his eyes at the one from Yakone. "Disrespectful bastard...Alright, let me take you through the first attack. Now, I wasn't here four months ago when this happened, so this isn't my evidence. The little we do have is very weak, but it's better than nothing..."

Sliding a thick, tall notebook from the center of the table towards his daughter, the Chief opened the brown leather to the first page, a sketch of the first victim.

"Irniq was a fisherman, nonbender. Age forty-six. Survived by his wife and their three children. He had been out for the clam haul that usually occurs around the winter moon. Anyway, he was found washed up on the shore the night after the full moon, no boat, no supplies have been recovered. At first the men who found him thought his boat had been pulled under and that he'd drown, but there were too many factors that didn't add up. The moon was full, and there was a high tide, but the clam are so far out from the shore that unless there was a massive storm, which there hadn't been, there was no way a boat the size of his would have capsized out of nowhere. Suspicions led to what they're calling an autopsy these days, where some of the best healers—"

"I know what an autopsy is," Katara added quietly, hoping he'd continue.

"Okay, well, they found his heart had been something like choked out," Hakoda flipped the page to a detailed drawing of what the healers had found. Katara pulled the book closer to her, examining the aortic valve and the heart's chambers, squinting as she followed the arrows that demonstrated what had occurred in Irniq's body.

"Brutal," She muttered, tracing the pathway.

"That's what everyone else decided, too," Hakoda turned over to the next diagrams. "It was obvious that this wasn't a drowning, and at the time, no one here had any other method of murdering someone like this. When the ship never turned up, the spirit assumptions were made. The Northern Council felt that he was being punished for over-fishing."

Katara scanned her eyes over the symbols on the book that detailed the suspicion her father spoke of. "Irniq was the only victim during the first cycle?"

"That we know of, yes," Hakoda stated. "My personal opinion is that whoever is responsible was testing the waters with Irniq. They wanted to see the damage they could do, then see how the Tribe would react."

"That makes sense," Katara muttered under her breath, flipping to the next page where the second cycle attacks began. "Whoa," She whispered, reading a list of half a dozen names. "They escalated quickly."

"Yes," Hakoda touched his thumb and forefinger to his chin, "This time, a group of trappers was murdered. Again, the spirit theory made sense. They were out aggressing against nature, despite the fact that our people have been using animals for food since the dawn of time. Their hearts were damaged in the same way, and the next six pages contain drawings of each of them to demonstrate that."

Skimming through the models, Katara shook her head. "Was their hunting gear missing like the fisherman's boat?"

The warrior couldn't help but feel pride at the logical thinking his daughter possessed. "Indeed, smart girl. Again, giving more suspicion to the fact that it was spirits."

Her eyes narrowed. "Or a bloodbender with a lot to hide."

"Or that," Hakoda put a hand on her shoulder. "I know we never really talked about what happened, with that old woman, but...if you ever want to—"

"I don't," Katara cut him off. "Let's stay focused. We don't have a lot of time."

Clearing his throat, her father carried on with the story. "The third cycle, again, was a group of hunters. They were on the annual wolf purge, since the populations have gotten so out of control. Fifteen killed. No evidence remaining."

Quickly ruffling through that information, Katara came to the end of the book, closing it and expecting more. Hakoda stood, waving her to follow him to the next table. "This is where my work begins. Bato and I were both here, when the last attack happened."

He turned to remove a curtain over a wall behind the workspace. Three neat rows, with eight drawings of people in each and descriptors beneath them demostrated the most bold attack that had occurred during the last lunar cycle. "Twenty-four murdered. This time, it wasn't just men, and they weren't just fighting nature. Two entire families were killed, in their homes, while they were sleeping. Others were killed on the outskirts of town, some at the shore. Each number shows where in the city they were taken." He turned back to the surface of the table, pointing to nine locations on the map that stretched across the Northern Water Tribe. "To me, this was very obviously not a spiritual attack. I didn't know what it was until we got your letter. Yakone is still suspicious about the bloodbending possibility, but I'm hoping you'll be able to explain it to him."

"Provided he'll listen," Katara said defensively, her elbows resting on the table as she poured over the map. "How many children?"

"Seven," Hakoda quietly replied. "Seven under the age of twelve had their hearts choked out, for no obvious reason. None of the families had any apparent connection to one another, nor to any of the three previous attacks. I interviewed neighbors and relatives. You can look through them if you want," Hakoda slid a small notebook to her, "But I didn't get much out of them. It appeared that whoever had done this was nothing more than a ghost, slipping in, doing his damage, then disappearing."

Katara tucked a piece of hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear before glancing down at an evidence log. "So this _ghost_ didn't take anything belonging to these people as they had the time before?"

"We can't know for sure, since there was no one left in the homes to testify to what may have been stolen, but it doesn't appear that anything else was taken."

She pressed her lips together before firmly stating, "I feel like there's more than one person responsible for this."

Hakoda nodded. "I agree."

Katara leaned back, thinking hard. "Have you made a list of high-ranking waterbenders?"

The Chief waved her to follow him, and at the next table he opened a large flow chart of officers, teachers, healers, and warriors. "These are the best waterbenders in the Northern Water Tribe." Pointing to the top row, he traced the numbers of a few with his flat fingertip. "Yakone and his two top officers whom you'll probably meet later— Ariak and Sauri, are considered the best benders up here, but in my opinion, they're full of hot air...or steam, I guess." Running a hand over the scruff on his chin, Hakoda continued, "The women benders are still disregarded by many up here, unfortunately, so that's why there's none on here that aren't healers. Had those families not been attacked including women and children I'd have put a female rebellion up for consideration, but I doubt that now."

Flipping through detailed notes on each of the fifty or so benders on the chart, Katara felt her face heating up as she noted most of them done in her father's writing. He had put in an extraordinary effort to prepare her for work on the mission. "Were any of these benders suspicious to you?"

Hakoda sighed, shaking his head. "The only three that rubbed me the wrong way were Yakone, Ariak, and Sauri, but they're just pompous and thought it was ridiculous that they were being interviewed when they were leading the team. They have about as much respect for non-benders and Southerners as they do for the women of their tribe, so you can guess how much cooperation I've had."

"Can you tell me more about them? Since I obviously won't get much out of them?"

He noted the way her eyes shone with the spirit of a woman who refused to give into the outdated trends that never should have existed in the first place. "I don't know much, sweetheart. I haven't worked with them for the most part. I know that none of them are married, but they seem to have a constant flock of women around them when they're not here. I'm not sure how many of those women want to be there, but...They usually spend their time off down at the Snowed Inn, it's a sleazy bar that runs an...escort service illegally."

"The Snowed Inn?" Katara groaned. "Sounds like something Sokka would come up with."

The father laughed, clapping a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Bad jokes are a Water Tribe tradition. The men needed something to keep them laughing during bitter cold nights on hunting trips."

Katara giggled and sighed, leaning over the counter on her elbows as she scanned over the flow chart. "So, what's the plan for tonight?"

"Not completely sure yet, but we've got about a hundred men meeting us here in the next hour. When is Aang supposed to come?"

"Oh!" The waterbender stood up straight. "I guess I should head back to get him. He usually doesn't snap out of it on his own real quickly when he's surrounded by that much spiritual energy."

"Mind if I join you?"

* * *

"Sweetie, come on," Katara stroked Aang's cheek, shaking his shoulders in attempt to get him out of his trance. "Aang, snap out of it!"

He moaned before slowly opening his eyes, letting his hands come from their pose to cup her jaw and prepared to kiss her deeply. "Aang," She breathed just as his lips brushed hers, pulling him up with a firm tug. Confused, the Avatar wobbled, steadied by a hand from behind him that made him jump.

Spinning around, Aang blinked a few times as he registered who had stabilized him. "Chief Hakoda?" He glanced back at Katara, confused. "What's going on?"

"My dad's a part of the Tonrar force."

"Oh!" Aang smiled, reaching out to grab the arm of his girlfriend's father, as had become their customary greeting. "How are you? And how did you wind up here?"

"Doing well, and I just happened to be in town when the last attack happened. I've been trying my best to get as much information together for you two as possible."

Katara folded Aang's rug, suggesting he wear his formal robes for the meeting with Yakone, then admitting,"Dad's actually got a lot for us to work with."

"Thanks, Chief! We can use all the help we can get! I'm glad you're here!" Aang led them towards Appa, nuzzling Momo as the lemur jumped onto his shoulders. "Not now, buddy, go see Katara. I've got to get dressed." Spinning himself up to the saddle, Aang dug through a pack of supplies, fluffing the wrinkles out of a light yellow top and sliding it over his head, tucking it into his pants before clipping an orange shawl around his shoulders.

He offered a hand for Katara, then her father before taking Appa's reigns and flying them toward the building they had come from.

Giving Appa instructions to fly to his usual stable behind the palace where Hakoda said they'd be staying, Aang took his staff and directed Momo to relax with Appa. He was then led by the Chief into the Tonrar station, with Katara giving him a look he couldn't quite interpret. He was going to whisper a question to her when he found himself being swarmed with members of the Tonrar force, including it's leader who gave Katara an obvious glare before greeting the Avatar. "We're humbled to have you with us, sir. I'm Captain Yakone, and these are my top officers, Ariak and Sauri. We'll be taking you through what we know about this crisis so far, if you'll follow me. Hakoda? Perhaps you'd like to take your daughter back to work, since she's already gotten the information."

Both he and his daughter made a move to speak at once, but Aang beat them to it, taking a tiny, protective step in front of his girlfriend. "Master Katara and I are partners, Captain. With all due respect, where I go, she goes. She is my equal and would greatly appreciate it if you treated her as such."

Yakone's stare hardened visibly, but he did not react to the statement. With a blasé shrug in Katara's direction he made a move for the group to follow him.

Katara refused to do so, however, and after squeezing Aang's hand, firmly stated, "It makes sense for my dad and I to keep working, rather than hearing the same information twice. Just be sure to get us before the strategy meeting starts. I'll see you soon."

Turning on her heel without acknowledging the other men in the room, the waterbender walked out calmly as possible, with Hakoda right behind her.

He expected her to melt down in typical waterbending fashion, but Katara kept a level head as she tried to navigate the halls back to the evidence room they'd been in earlier.

"This way, sweetheart," Hakoda directed quietly, wrapping a gentle arm around her shoulders to guide her as she started for a weaponry unit. He was surprised when she didn't shrug him off, but actually leaned into the awkward side-embrace a bit. "I'm sorry the men of this tribe are still so—"

She glanced up with a shake of her head. "If I dwell on it, I'll get angry. Let's just try to make a new connection before they're done explaining it all to Aang, that will help prove that I deserve to be here just as much as any of them."

Proud of her for having a good attitude, Hakoda and Katara set off to work on drawing new correlations from their existing information, hoping their inferences would prove useful as they prepared for the night.

Meanwhile, Aang struggled to make heads or tails of the information he was being given at a fast-rate speed. Yakone had little patience for his ignorance, despite the fact that this was his first time hearing anything about the investigation. "Do you think we could walk through that one more time?" He questioned sheepishly, "I feel like I missed something. This person went from killing hunters and fishers to murdering entire families in a month? Something just doesn't add up."

"Well, after your little girlfriend decided it wasn't the spirits at work—"

"Her name is Katara, and she happens to be a waterbending master," Aang interrupted, his teeth gritting together as he gripped his staff. "You may refer to her as Master Katara."

"After _Master_ Katara decided it wasn't the spirits at work, we started to think this may have started out as one man, then became a small group. Now, we're looking at possibly nine different men."

"Why would you assume it's men?" Aang's hold on his glider only continuing to grow tighter. "Are you aware that bloodbending was invented by a woman? Or that Master Katara was the second person to ever use it?"

"How wonderful that women turned our art into a mockery," Yakone rolled his eyes. "Avatar Aang, let us focus on the task at hand."

The Avatar followed Yakone, Ariak, and Sauri to the evidence room, where Katara and her father had been pouring through documents for well over half an hour. He met her eyes with a look that begged for her to help him keep calm. She returned it with a knowing one, patting the seat at the countertop next to her. He slid in, pouring over the map of where the victims had been, realizing it was much easier to comprehend with a visual. Yakone continued to blather on about what all had happened, but Aang hardly found a reason to pay attention as he flipped through pages in the journals Hakoda had put together.

"Chief, these are really well done. This is helpful, especially since we haven't been able to be here to interpret evidence ourselves. I appreciate it," The airbender said when Yakone had paused his rambling for a breath. Hakoda reached around Katara to clap Aang between his shoulder blades, reminding him that he wanted to help them out in anyway he could.

"Anyway," The captain of their mission interrupted, folding hands behind his back. "You'll have twenty minutes to review whatever it is you want, since you're obviously not interested in what I have to say. We will convene in the strategy chambers then. Hakoda, I expect you can lead them."

"I'm sure _Chief_ Hakoda will be able to do just that," Aang said with a passive-aggressive smile. "Thank you for your help, Captain, officers."

As the men left and the door slammed shut, the Avatar had to restrain himself from sending an angry current around the room while his mouth fell into a deep frown. Katara let out a loud breath, resonating his frustration.

"What a total jerk," Aang mumbled, a hand pressing hard into the tabletop. "Why would Chief Arnook put a guy like him in charge of this task force? He probably doesn't even care about the victims!"

"He's the best they've got up here, unfortunately," Hakoda replied. "He's supposedly a great strategist. But, we'll determine that for ourselves in a little bit. In the mean time, Aang, do you feel that you have a good understanding of everything that's gone on so far?"

"No! I could hardly catch a word of it all with his attitude!"

"Katara, how about you explain it to him, I'll fill in the gaps? Teaching is the best way to learn, after all?"

His daughter gave him a little smile before leading Aang to the first table in the room, walking him through key points with the journal entries from the healers, the initial evidence diagrams, then over to Hakoda's evidence, maps, wall, and book of interviews. Just as she was finishing up, Sauri threw the door open. His eyes were a few shades deeper blue than Katara's, and his grey hair was pulled up in a bun, secured with a clip. "We're waiting on you," He said harshly, eyeing the time by the piece on the wall — an invention from the war that had caught on.

The trio stood, with Hakoda taking his map and Katara her bag with supplies to explain bloodbending better to any who would still be suspicious of whether or not the practice existed.

They entered the strategy room, which held rows of uniformed soldiers and law enforcers, clearly separated by the color of their jackets. Katara, Aang, and Hakoda followed Sauri to the front of the room, taking seats at the table that faced the audience. Katara scanned the room, affirming that she was the only woman present. Taking a breath, she felt Aang's palm on her upper thigh, though his gaze was serious and straightforward, ready for the meeting to begin.

"All of you have been briefed on the situation, so we're going to get straight to the point," Yakone started, the rasp in his voice growing stronger as he projected. "We'll give you the assignments, then you'll have about three hours before you are to arrive at your post."

"Excuse me, Captain," Hakoda bravely interrupted, standing. "I thought this was a strategy room. You can hardly dismiss men when you've not allowed proper time to discuss the strategy."

Whirrling to face his opponent, Yakone's grey eyes suddenly held a spark in them. "I've got a strategy, and you're here to listen and—"

"Captain Yakone!" A loud command rang, and a dark-haired man in long, navy robes stepped into the room with a hand raised. "Chief Hakoda is correct. There is to be discussion about all assignments before they are dismissed. If others have ideas that can improve our chances of ending this disaster tonight, I want them heard."

Hakoda bowed to his fellow Chief as Arnook slowly made his way up to the front of the room, standing stoically next to Yakone, who's blood was clearly boiling beneath his perfectly pressed coat.

Acting as if it were no big deal, the leader of the mission continued. "All squads will be on high alert. One member of the team will carry with them red and yellow flares. Send up red flares to inform the rest of us of a possible sighting. Send yellow to confirm an attack with no suspect present. Any objections to this?" He questioned, earning no response. "You will be dispersed throughout various districts, primarily along the outskirts and inner walls of the city. Residents have already been informed that they aught to seek caution and remain in their homes with the doors locked and windows boarded for extra caution."

"If this is a spirit, can't it just move through walls?" A tentative soldier asked from the crowd. "Would the homes really be a safer place?"

"It's not a spirit," Katara stated, earning murmurs among the men. In their tribe, it was still clearly unheard of for a woman to speak out in a meeting, let alone be present. "Though you may have been briefed on the situation, I'm not sure you all have been informed of the situation that is taking place. The spirits have nothing to do with this crisis. A waterbender, or likely several, have been using a dark form of waterbending known as bloodbending."

A low rumble continued around the room as Katara spoke, and one of the voices interrupted her before she could even get her first point across. "As if some mythical practice could have—"

Aang stood, not letting his girlfriend be patronized by the men of her sister tribe. "Bloodbending is real. I have not only seen it, but have been a victim of it myself. I can assure you as the Avatar, it is real, and very dangerous. Katara has also experienced bloodbending, and she will gladly explain it to you if you will listen. Go on," He nodded to her, biting back a nickname for his sweetie in front of the men.

She swallowed and took out a map of the human body that demonstrated chi paths, tacking it to a wall in the front of the room. "Bloodbending involves manipulating the water in the blood cells of a person's body. It is extremely difficult to do, and could only be performed by a master waterbender with the power of the full moon enhancing their bending. It gives the victim no control over their body's ability to function. Every muscle and cell is completely at the will of the waterbender. For these victims, the waterbender is likely starting the bloodbending technique with blood from the upper arms, where the veins are thick and easy to manipulate. Then, they would travel along the victim's chi path until they arrive at the heart. The bloodbender follows the heart's natural flow of blood, starting on the right side, squeezing and choking out the heart with it's own flow until the individual is dead." She took a deep breath. "Can I answer any questions?"

A few tentative hands were raised, and Katara called on a soldier in the front row. "This is for the Avatar, actually...what does it feel like?"

Aang shivered involuntarily as he recalled the grip that Hama had on him, the tingle in his limbs, and rush to his head afterwords. "Like you've lost all control. It's horrible, and terrifying. Not something I like to think about."

Katara nodded to another man, who boldly asked her, "Have you ever used bloodbending, Master Katara?"

Her entire face heated up, and Katara's gaze pulled down to the table. She could feel Yakone's eyes burrowing into her as Aang's hand reached over to gently squeeze hers. "Yes. Twice, during the war. And I'm not proud of it. I think that it should be an illegal practice, and that those who use it to hurt or kill others should be punished severely. But, this isn't about me. I wanted you to understand exactly what is going on here, and that it is real, so that we can go out there and catch whoever is responsible." She sighed, "If there's no further questions directly related to how bloodbending works, I'll turn it back to the Captain."

Katara sat down, another long breath rolling through her as Yakone began dispersing assignments. He was nearly finished, and many of the men had left the room, when Hakoda finally found a flaw in the plan.

"You've left the lower east side completely unprotected!" He declared, pointing to his own map, "There were eight victims there! You can't leave it alone."

Yakone growled, "These people have never attacked twice in the same location. It would be pointless to waste our recourses there. Unless you'd like to go, and take your daughter with you."

Hakoda curled a fist around the edge of the map, rolling it up harshly. "Katara, do you think that will work for you?"

She gave a firm nod, not wanting to leave innocent people potentially exposed to the deadly threat of bloodbending.

* * *

"We've still got a few hours before the full moon. How about dinner?" Hakoda offered, a hand on each Aang and Katara's shoulders as the meeting wrapped and they were back into the chilly arctic air, free from the bigotry for a few hours.

Katara glanced at her boyfriend, knowing they'd both prefer to be alone, but the week she'd likely spend with her father would end quickly. Despite any annoyances she felt with the Chief, she was mostly happy to see him.

"Sure, dad. What did you have in mind?"

They traveled through the city, Aang resisting the urge to hold Katara's hands every few seconds. Though he knew her father supported their relationship, a conversation from several years before regarding appropriate behavior still stirred him. Knowing that he'd broken the assurance he'd made to the Chief many times over since then, made him even more nervous. Reluctantly, he walked a few steps behind Southerners, letting them catch up a bit on topics other than the investigation.

"... and I still can't believe Sokka proposed without letting me see the necklace! Or at least even sending me a letter to let me know he was going to do it! I feel betrayed," Katara groaned.

"He just wanted it to be a surprise, that's all."

The waterbender pouted, crossing her thickly-covered arms with her nose up a bit. "I'm good at keeping surprises! I can keep my mouth shut! Right, Aang?"

The Avatar, caught off guard, tugged at the collar on his robes, offering her a smile as she glared back at him to agree with her. "Of course, sweetie. Ultimate secret-keeper."

"Well," She tilted her head, relaxing her features a bit. "I've never blabbed any of your secrets!"

Aang rolled his eyes to the side, raising his arm that wasn't holding his staff. "I'd hope not, given most of my secrets involve you."

Hakoda turned with a knowing smirk. "You two have secrets?"

The couple both flushed hot pink and started mumbling at the same time, "Of course not!"

"No, Chief, we'd never—"

They turned and Hakoda led them into a restaurant, laughing. "I'm just teasing. Besides, if I really wanted to get your secrets out, I'd just challenge Katara to an old fashioned Southern Water Tribe tradition of rum running."

He winked and her flush deepened while she curled her fists right before they were seated. Aang tried to cover up a snicker as he recalled one of his favorite nights he ever spent with the Water Tribe family in their igloo on the other side of the world.

"That was totally unfair, dad, and you know it!"

Aang couldn't help but let out a full-on laugh. "Come on, Katara, you can't remember it anyway. Besides, you were so funny and completely sweet." He shook his head.

The year previous, she'd made several startling confessions during the Water Tribe drinking game, and after intaking entirely more than her small frame could handle, had blabbered the entire night away, assuring everyone that she loved Aang, that he was her soul mate, that they'd be married by the night's end and off to start on their honeymoon.

Of course, when she woke up the next morning, she had nothing but a throbbing headache, breath that could have taken out a Fire Nation army during the war, and spent most of the morning doubled-over a pot in the washing area while Aang held her hair back.

"Well, I don't think it was very funny. And it wasn't very sweet of you to let me drink that much! I swear, I'm never—"

Hakoda and Aang interrupted to finish her statement with a laughing, "—drinking again."

She took off her coat, smoothed it over the seat, then sat down opposite Aang and her father, trying to give a stinky-eye to both of them, but finding her attempt most unsuccessful as they bore twin grins.

Finally giving in, she giggled a little and reached over to squeeze Aang's hand before asking Hakoda to pass her a menu. They still had a few hours of peace before the potential fighting would start, and she needed to enjoy the time she had with her father and boyfriend.

* * *

Aang rubbed Katara's shoulders as they prepared to separate for the night. "I hate that I never get to fight by your side when it matters the most," She mumbled, leaning forward to rest her head against his chest. He groaned and kissed the top of it, the fingers of his left hand running over the braid that he'd managed to make stay in her hair all day.

"Your talents are always needed elsewhere," Aang assured her, not wanting to downplay the importance of her role in every battle they'd faced over five years together. "You're too valuable to be at my side. We can both take care of ourselves, and that's really beneficial to everyone we're fighting for...or unfortunate for those we're against."

He winked while leaning back, rubbing her upper arms again. She sighed, clutching his, which were only half-covered by the light orange and yellow top he'd changed into, ditching his bulky formal robes for the battle. "I'd at least feel better if you'd put on a coat. You look ridiculous against the snow in short sleeves."

Chuckling, Aang dropped a final kiss to the top of her head, "Tomorrow, I'll wear something from the Water Tribe, just for you, sweetie."

Katara fought a smile as her father strode nearer to break them up. "You do always look nice in blue."

"Alright, lovebirds. Troops are headed out. Katara, ready?"

She nodded, squeezing Aang's hand and whispering. "Good luck, I love you."

Picking up his staff as she turned he quietly called after her, "I love you too. Be safe." He twirled into the air then extended the wings of his glider, quickly making way to the outpost he'd be stationed at, where several officers were already waiting.

"Dad?" Katara spun around to meet her father's ready gaze. He lowered his club then blinked down at her before pulling his daughter a tight hug. "Let's get these monsters."

Hurrying to their designated watch area at the east side of the city, the two hung around on high alert, ready to attack at any moment.

Hours later, however, no intruders came. Not even the slightest sign of life passed the duo's hideout. The moon was dropping lower into the sky, and Katara knew that even the most powerful of waterbenders wouldn't be able to control another person's body with such little external force. Suddenly, a powerful, yellow blast came roared across the night sky, and Katara felt her heart sink.

Lowering her own defenses, Katara prepared to tell her father they aught to call it a night, as there was obviously nothing they could do, when a rustling of wind came from behind her. Not taking time to inspect it before slinging a vicious water whip backwards, the waterbender gasped when she recognized the figure she'd tossed face-first into the snow.

"Aang!" She cried, sliding next to him on her knees and picking up the water in preparation to use it for healing. "Sweetie, I'm so sorry, I was—"

"No, it's okay," He grunted, rubbing his swelling cheek, refusing to let her heal it. "I'll be fine. I'm sorry, I should have known you'd be on high alert and let you know it was me."

Hakoda dropped next to him as well, offering the Avatar a hand to sit up more properly with. Taking it with a nod of thanks, Aang sighed, his mood clearly disheartened. "As you just saw, there was an attack. And we missed it, by a longshot."

"Oh, no," Katara sighed, covering her mouth with her gloved hands.

"Several more families, near the heart of the city, but the flares came from the North, who'd just been informed by off-duty supports who had heard a disturbance in a home. There may be more victims, they're still going house-to-house — but right now the count is at seventeen."

Feeling her eyes water in failure, Katara shook her head. "But...we planned it out so well! There's no way...there's just no way! We had everything covered! Who was supposed to be there?"

Aang shrugged. "That's the thing, there wasn't supposed to be anyone there. The heart of the city was considered safe because of the volume of people, Yakone hadn't thought it necessary to post command there. No one thought that the bloodbender would be so bold as to attack with so many potential witnesses."

Hakoda cringed, his chest falling. "I didn't speak out against that for the same reasoning. Ugh," He groaned, a hand meeting his head. "Brilliant tactics, Chief."

Aang forced himself up completely, the shock from Katara's accidental attack gone. "No, you were right. I mean, they were getting bolder, but an attack in such a populated area...it's crazy. I think we need to get back to the drawing board and re-plan. We've still got two nights of the full moon. We can do this."

The Chief thanked Aang and they both stood, but Katara remained on her knees, her arms drawn over her chest. "Katara?" The airbender muttered her name, offering her a hand. She looked at it, then up at her father with a glare before helping herself and stomping off in the direction of the Northern palace. Aang and Hakoda shared a knowing look of it being a long, night for their favorite girl, and both gave a mutual, silent sigh.

* * *

Katara was torn between collapsing in bed with Aang and pacing the hallways of the Northern Water Tribe palace where they were staying. After having called Appa from the stable to the front of the palace, they started unloading their bags, working quietly through the disappointment of the night.

Hakoda lugged a heavy bag over his shoulder, nodding for his daughter and her boyfriend to follow him to the guest hall, where he was also staying. Momo jumped down from on top of Appa, snuggling himself on the back of Katara's neck. She reached back with a tiny smirk, unable to help the gesture as the creature managed to brighten her night a bit."Right this way, we've got two rooms set up, just down the hall from mine."

Aang felt his shoulders fall as he and Katara exchanged a look, knowing they'd have to act as if that were no problem for the two of them. "Right," He sighed.

Hakoda glanced back, catching their crestfallen expressions, and cleared his throat before marching them up the frozen steps of the palace, which were designed with intricate, permanent icicles to look like they were dripping.

The long, icy hallways of the Chief's residence were dark at the early hours of the morning, without even servants running around. "Hakoda, do you think we aught to get some security in here? Now that we know the attackers are getting bolder, we should make efforts to protect the Chief."

"In my opinion," Hakoda stated, his voice low in need of sleep, "The worth of a nation's leader is no more than that of it's newest members. Arnook already has additional forces at his palace that work here regularly. He should be able to defend himself, even without their help."

Katara and Aang passed an additional look between them. "I guess that's true," Aang agreed. "I mean, I don't usually ask for help when I travel, but I feel that I can properly take care of myself, and Katara can take care of herself, too. But...is it wrong to give a leader support? Zuko just recently dismissed his extra guard. I wouldn't leave the Earth King alone if he begged me to."

Hakoda turned to meet Aang's eye, giving him a weak smile. "If you'd be more comfortable, I'll send a message for Yakone to send up a few additional men, and have them posted right outside Arnook's door."

Offering him a thankful smile, the Avatar reached out for his girlfriend's hand, giving it a little squeeze. He appreciated Hakoda, despite the fact that his presence meant spending a night away from Katara.

"Alright, here you two go," The Chief gestured to two rooms, the doors each intricately carved with ancient Water Tribe symbols. Katara touched the knob to her door, which had four lines in the center, each starting upward in the left and sloping down to the right. She noticed Aang's as well, a large circle etched into the pale birchwood, with eight small circles around it.

"Rain and sun rooms?" She glanced up at Hakoda, who shrugged.

"I think they're just so that the palace staff can keep track of who is staying in which room. This whole wing is a bit of an oversized hotel. I'll be glad to get back home, though home is starting to become more and more like this place each day..." He reached forward, tracing the rain symbol with his forefinger. "Sometimes, I wonder how simple life was in the days when these symbols stood in for the written word. Ah, well." Dropping a kiss onto the crown of Katara's head, he opened the door to the guest room, setting the bag near the entrance. "Goodnight, sweetheart. Tomorrow's a new day to strategize. We'll get whoever is behind this, I promise you."

Turning with a nod to Aang, who gave him a sheepish grin, Hakoda walked about ten feet past their rooms and into one which had a door containing three wavy lines on it. Neither of the teens moved, or hardly breathed, until he was in his room and the door shut, then clicked as the lock was drawn.

Aang practically tackled Katara after dropping his bags to the floor and throwing his arms around her, causing Momo to screech and move to curl up on a pillow at the head of Katara's bed, which was covered in a navy bedspread, an extra quilt folded at the bottom. She could hardly breathe as she tightened her grip around his waist, hiding her face in his neck, letting hot tears spill against his cool skin.

"Sweetie?" Aang pulled her braid away from his face and stroked her visible cheek with the backs of his fingers. "Why are you crying?"

"Because," She sniffed, "Seventeen more people died tonight, Aang! Seventeen, maybe more! We were supposed to catch whoever was behind this, but they slipped right past us! The plan failed! I was with my dad the whole time and no one passed us! We were useless, we—"

Cutting her off with a gentle kiss, the airbender rocked her gently twice. "No, this isn't your fault. It isn't your dad's either. He was basing all of his information on the logical pattern we had, with little help from those in charge."

She nodded, sniffing before pressing a wet kiss to his cheek, then moved her arms to hug his neck. "I love you," She muttered. "And I hate that we have to sleep apart tonight. I wish we would have thought ahead — I could have gotten us a place out at the stable in the caretaker's spare room, but I didn't want to bother him so late."

Aang shrugged. "It's just a few nights. We'll make it through. Then we've got the whole flight to Ba Sing Se, which includes several stops, to ourselves." He wiggled his eyebrows and Katara forced a chuckle before meeting his lips one last time. "I'm exhausted," She yawned, stretching after removing her limbs from his shoulders, then gestured to the supplies her father had placed in the room. "Do you need anything from this bag?"

"Nah, I'm just going to collapse in a heap on the bed," He glimpsed at Momo and shrugged. "Alone, apparently. I'll see you in the morning, sweetie. Try to rest." Kissing her temple, he left the room, letting the door creek closed behind him.

Katara scanned the dimly-lit room, wishing she'd asked him to light the lamp on the table near the bed, which was made from the same light-colored wood as the door. Everything in the room bore a white or blue tint, just like the entire city.

And though they were the colors of home, for Katara, the Northern Water Tribe would never be close to where her heart belonged. As she turned and stared at the door before removing her parka, she knew that neither was the Southern Water Tribe, not anymore. Her heart was on the other side of the icy wall that separated the two guest rooms, and she was going to have a very difficult time falling asleep without her feeling of home, without Aang's arm curled around her.

* * *

**Author's Note**: I will be hosting previous chapters of this story here for navigation purposes. Updates, along with my other (30+) A:TLA/TLOK fics, are posted to my A:TLA/TLOK blog (spirit-koi) as they come out. Link in my profile page.


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